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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138744">Left On Read</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashova/pseuds/natashova'>natashova</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sam &amp; Bucky Send Texts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes Likes Taylor Swift, Bucky Barnes and the 21st Century, Clint Barton Likes Food, Grief/Mourning, I Hate Bucky's Therapist, M/M, Missing Scene, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Texting, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV) Spoilers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:33:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,276</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30138744</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashova/pseuds/natashova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve left, there was nothing.<br/>Then there was everything.</p><p>OR</p><p>A fic about Bucky ignoring Sam's texts, except he does so more reluctantly each time. Equally, Bucky wants to shove his phone up his therapist's ass.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Sam Wilson, James "Bucky" Barnes &amp; Steve Rogers, pre James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Sam &amp; Bucky Send Texts [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2222757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>397</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Left On Read</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Steve left, there was nothing.</p><p>Then there was everything.</p><p>The whole world has changed; burning through inventions like wildfire, leaving Bucky and his 106 years in the dust. He’s alive, but he often finds himself wondering if this is really living, crossing off a list that overwhelms him with guilt every time he glances at it. Is it living when all he’s doing is righting the wrongs of another life?</p><p>Three lives tangling and twisting, three strings of existence plaited together, topped off with the patriotic, reckless bow that was his constant. When Steve left, everything unravelled and knotted together- the flirty boy from Brooklyn, the cold fist of Hydra and the man he was in Wakanda have been intertwined in a ruthless bundle, leaving Bucky both silent and screaming.</p><p>His therapist tells him to answer his phone. He wants to tell her to shove it somewhere he probably shouldn’t mention.</p><p>Bucky doesn’t get many texts. He got one from Shuri, telling him she’s sent over a software upgrade for his arm. He was pleased to find it moved more naturally after that, wrist twisting like his flesh arm. He still hides it with a glove anyway.</p><p>He also gets the odd text from Clint Barton, who messages him locations of ‘secretly super-awesome food carts’ in New York. Bucky occasionally follows his advice and goes to try the food when he can’t bring himself to cook something. Most of the time the suggestions are excellent, but something about the hot dogs from the stand on the corner by the rubber duck store (who even needs a rubber duck store?) tasted too much like they used to. But the kebabs by the Goodwill are pretty great.</p><p>Bucky really does appreciate these messages, but he’s never sure what to say back. He still feels guilty about how Clint got put on house arrest after everything that went down with Stark.</p><p>He got a message from that guy- Scott? He thinks Scott was inviting him to get ice-cream, but the text was long and rambling and mentioned something called Baskin-Robbins. Bucky thinks any sane person would’ve ignored a message that messy and confusing.</p><p>Then there’s Sam’s texts.</p><p>They started out all therapy-like, and those were immediately discarded by Bucky. He already has a therapist, and she sucks, he doesn’t want another one of those. Sam meant well with his messages, saying things like ‘it’s healthy to talk’ and ‘I’m here if you ever wanna talk about the big guy with the shield’. Bucky personally thinks if he were to talk it would be <em>bad for Sam’s health</em>- just thinking about it makes Bucky want to punch him through a wall or five.</p><p>Oh right, he’s not meant to want to punch things anymore.</p><p>And talking to Sam about Steve? It’s way too raw for that to even be an option. Bucky can barely even think Steve’s name without feeling the gnaw of untreated anxiety, saying it would probably lead to a full-blown panic attack.</p><p>Sam’s texts then turned more worried, asking after his health and offering advice Bucky didn’t want nor ask to receive.</p><p>‘Checking in. Answer your damn phone or I’ll have to start worrying about you.’</p><p>‘You should try going for a walk every now and then, get yourself out with a healthy purpose.’</p><p>‘Are you doing alright? Hope I don’t gotta show up at your door with a bottle of something strong.’</p><p>This led to a <em>lot </em>of panic, where Bucky rigged an extensive trap mechanism by the front door and bolted, leaving a note for Sam.</p><p>‘Sam,</p><p>I’m alive and I’m fine. Quit worrying.</p><p>JBB’</p><p>He arrived back at the apartment a week later, seeing the note on the door was gone. Turning on his phone (which he’d left behind, obviously), he saw a text from Sam telling him that he respects his space and stuff that Bucky wishes he wasn’t pleased to hear.</p><p>From then onwards, Sam’s texts turned more mundane and cheerful, and Bucky was almost pleased to read them, read an insight into someone else’s life. He hated to admit it, but it dragged him out of his own tangled thoughts.</p><p>‘The fire hydrant on my street exploded today. All the kids were out playing in it.’</p><p>‘Man, you’ve gotta try popping candy chocolate, it’s good stuff.’</p><p>‘I just accidentally kicked the shield, hurts like a bitch, did you ever do that?’</p><p>Bucky had unintentionally kicked the shield, just once, whilst camping behind enemy lines. Steve had left it propped up against a tree- it was dark out, and Bucky didn’t notice it. He wasn’t even wearing his boots, and he was genuinely concerned he had broken a toe. Steve had just laughed at him and said “Best damn sniper I know, and you didn’t notice? Should we be requesting an eye doctor?”</p><p>He’d just grumbled something rude at Steve and walked off, foot throbbing.</p><p>Bucky was surprised to find that he could handle that memory of Steve, as it was something so mundane and simple- it still hurt, but he couldn’t feel the tendrils of panic rising. He still didn’t reply to Sam, but he hoped that he would keep texting.</p><p>‘Betting you don’t know what Fortnite is. My sister’s kids keep talking about it, and she’s ready to pull her hair out.’</p><p>‘Just had to fix my wings again. I need a portable tool kit.’</p><p>‘Did you know records are cool again? You can feel old and cool all at once.’</p><p>Bucky did not know records were cool again, and he was quietly pleased about it. That very day, he went out and bought a record player and vinyls from a small music store he’d previously ignored. He didn’t want to be stuck in his ways, but if it’s a thing people still do…?</p><p>He now has a collection of 83 vinyls, some of them he knows from past times, some of them just had nice sleeves. He particularly likes two albums called Folklore and Evermore, even if the Coney Island song is too much to bear some days. According to the owner of the record store, both albums are very popular, and Bucky was quietly pleased that he could still like new things.</p><p>‘Had an op today. They keep sending me on ones where I need to be subtle, like that’s possible with huge metal wings.’</p><p>‘If you wanna take a new career direction, do anything except banking. Bankers are bastards.’</p><p>‘My pickup broke down in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. Again.’</p><p>He’d laughed himself stupid at that one, imagining Sam grumbling under the hood of a rusty pickup. Back in the war, Bucky had spent many hours fixing up the motorcycles that Steve seemed to get off on trashing. Luckily, the Howlies had a pretty much unlimited budget when it came to military equipment, but Steve never wanted to request for a new bike when the one they had was fixable. That’s how he ended up as the resident mechanic, repairing the bike after every damn mission.</p><p>Oh, and there was the time where Steve had just accidentally driven it into a tree. Bucky makes a note to tell Sam about that someday- huh.</p><p>Maybe he should send the man a message.</p><p>At first Bucky was worried Sam felt obligated to send him messages as a friend of Steve’s, but now he was starting to believe that Sam just wanted to be decent. Maybe, if Bucky sent his own anecdotes, or even just acknowledged the other man, they could build something?</p><p>But first; therapy. Again. He’s seriously considering punching his therapist through a wall instead of Sam.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading this little ficlet on what Bucky's texts are!! Let me know in the comments what else you think Sam texted Bucky.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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